Case Number 19059

Mary And Max

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All Rise...

Judge Clark Douglas has a complete collection of Noblets figurines.

The Charge

Sometimes perfect strangers make the best of friends.

Opening Statement

"You are my best friend. You are my only friend."

Facts of the Case

Mary is a 10-year-old girl (voiced by Bethany Whitmore, The Starter Wife) living in
Australia. Her mother is a drunk, she's picked on at school, and her life is
generally an unpleasant one. Even so, Mary is a positive sort of girl who always
tries to make the best of every situation. One day, Mary comes across an
American phonebook, and decides to write to one of the addresses in the book and
ask that random person to be her pen pal.

The random person Mary chooses is Max Horowitz (voiced by Philip Seymour
Hoffman, Capote), a 44-year-old New
Yorker with Asperger's Syndrome. Max is reclusive, doesn't have any friends,
feels uncomfortable in social situations and struggles with food addiction (his
favorite snack is "chocolate hot dogs"). He enjoys Mary's letter and
decides to write back to her.

Over the course of 20 years, the long-distance relationship between Mary and
Max grows and evolves into something special.

The Evidence

There is a part of me that is deeply moved by Mary and Max, sitting
alongside a part of me that is disappointed by the way the film pushes too hard
at times. The film is a 92-minute stop-motion animated effort for grown-ups,
which is a tough sell (though it shouldn't be). However, in an attempt to
establish itself as "mature" and "serious," the movie
travels the unfortunate path of far too many indie films: the path of blatant
contrarianism.

Whereas most animated films are charming and cheerful, this one is dark and
gloomy. While most animated films have a vibrant color palette, this one is so
overcast that it's a shock when any color at all comes through. These choices
are fine, as they suit the film and its tone. However, there's still a very
juvenile element at work here, as the film attempts to bury the viewer in a pile
of unpleasant side items. With its constant references to feces, farting, urine
and other related unpleasantries (Mary even has a "poo-colored"
birthmark on her forehead), Mary and Max really does feel as if it's
trying too hard to rub your face in how "real" and unpolished it is.
There's also narration courtesy of Barry Humphries (The Dame Edna Experience) that teeters
on a line between charmingly witty and insufferably precious. Much is made of a
cartoon Mary and Max watch in which all of the characters look like penises,
which stops being amusing pretty quickly. I hesitate to even mention the
spectacularly misguided musical performance of "Que Sera, Sera" late
in the film.

Despite this, the relationship at the heart of the film is so affecting that
it manages to break through the needless trappings and resonate. At its core,
Mary and Max is a sweet, honest story about two lonely and confused
people desperately in need of each other's help. Granted, Max is 44 and Mary is
10 when their relationship begins, but they relate on similar levels in terms of
their interaction with the world. Max is remarkably intelligent in some areas
(he thoroughly enjoys contemplating the work of Einstein, Stephen Hawking and
other noted scientists), but on a social level he's rather impaired due to his
condition. What Mary doesn't understand because she isn't old enough, Max
doesn't understand because his brain won't permit him to. The two offer each
other sincere if slightly misguided advice, which is mutually appreciated.

The voice work is solid across the board, with the strongest turn coming
from Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the role of Max. Affecting a thick Yiddish
accent, Hoffman sounds appropriately weary, befuddled and reflective. He really
disappears in the part, which isn't something that frequently happens when
celebrities are doing voiceovers. Toni Collette (United States of Tara) does good work as the
older version of Mary, but most of the work done on that character is handled by
young Bethany Whitmore (despite the fact that Collette receives first billing).
There's also a small role for Eric Bana (Munich) as a man who marries Mary before leaving
her for the loving embrace of a grizzled old sheep farmer.

The DVD transfer is solid, capturing much of the hand-crafted detail of this
animated effort. The aniamtion isn't as smooth as one of Henry Selick's efforts
(or even most of Nick Park's Wallace and
Gromit stuff), but it does have a charmingly ramshackle feel and remains
more polished than I expected for a low-budget effort like this. The scenes in
Australia are sort of sepia-toned…well, to be honest, they're
intentionally "poo-toned"…while the scenes in New York are nearly
grayscale. I use the terms "sort of" and "nearly" because
there are actually other colors that break through now and then, but the imagery
is so heavily filtered that it's easy to forget about them. Detail is solid
throughout. The audio is fine, though the music seems just a bit loud on
occasion. The subtle sound design is weaved in quite nicely, too. Supplements
include a low-key commentary from director Adam Elliot, a collection of
webisodes chronicling the making of the film, some deleted scenes, a pair of
(rather weak) alternate endings, a charming short film called "Harvie
Krumpet" and a theatrical trailer.

Closing Statement

Though it has many flaws, Mary and Max is ultimately a film worth
seeing. When it's concluded, the touching elements of quality are what you will
remember. Check it out.